Inca Trail

Guarantee your place and entrance ticket for the Inca Trail for US$ 155 (Price for students with an ISIC card valid on the date of the trek, US$105)

There currently exist around 195 tour operators or travel agents authorized to operate the Network of Inca Trails to Machu Picchu. They all form groups of visitors or clients in order to make the most famous expedition in South America. JOIN one of these groups and live the experience of reaching on foot that marvel of the Inca culture which is MACHU PICCHU!

For the last six years and as a result of the new regulations controlling tourism activities on the Inca Trails to Machu Picchu, a single mode of operating has been established and this means that the services provided by all the authorized tour operators and agents are very similar. The main difference is the experience of the guides and, occasionally, the quality of the camping equipment. Another important difference is the service provided by some companies of a personal porter, who helps the tourist to carry their equipment. This service is often not included in the price and must be hired and paid for separately. Additionally, there exists strict control on the part of the authorities to ensure compliance with the laws designed to protect the porters. These new regulations have meant that they are guaranteed a standard wage and proper equipment and operators must contribute to the economy by paying taxes. Prices for the Inca Trail of less than US$ 400 may mean that exploitation of workers is taking place and that taxes are being evaded.

In addition, the return train ticket to Cusco is available at different rates in accordance with varying departure times, the route and the class of seat, and this can make an important difference to the overall cost of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Finally, because the regulations mean that the Inca Trail must be the same for everyone, the campsites are pre-established by the authorities who manage the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, and the maximum number of tourists per organized group is 16 passengers. Only 500 people a day may enter the Inca Trail route, and this number includes tourists, guides, personnel and auxiliary personnel.

If you would like to make this hike on a private basis and by taking alternative routes within the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary such as the 2 day/1 night Mini Inca Trail – in other words, you would like to hike with only the people you have chosen to travel with, rather than joining a group of other travelers – then this will mean a considerable difference in price, depending on the number of participants in your group.

And if you would like to join an organized group and participate in a shared service, then we can offer you the 4 DAY/3 NIGHT INCA TRAIL for the price of US$ 449, of which US$ 155 should be sent as an advance payment which is non-returnable. The balance of the total amount to be paid, US$ 294, must be paid 30 days before the starting date of the trek. If this final payment is not made during this period then the reservation will be cancelled automatically.  This balance will be subject to the payment of penalties in the event of cancellation within 30 days before the starting date of the trek, and these penalties will be applied in the following manner: 30 days or more before the trek, no penalty beyond bank charges; 29 to 20 days before the trek, 80% penalty; and less than 20 days before the start of the trek, 100% of the cost of the tour.

The advance payment of US$ 155 includes the placing of the client in a group organized by us or by any other operator for the date selected by the client, as well as the process for securing a permit to hike the trail and the purchase of the entrance ticket to the 4 day/3 night Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. All sales tax is also included.

The balance of US$ 294 includes the following: return train ticket Machu Picchu-Ollantaytambo (in backpacker class); transfer to Km 82 or the start of the trek; transfer by bus from the Ollantaytambo train station to the city of Cusco; services of a guide, cook, porters for carrying camping equipment belonging to the operating company and the food for the entire group; two person tents with a sleeping mat for each person; cooking and dining utensils; and meals served at the campsites (3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 evening meals).

The price of US$ 449 does not include the services of a personal porter, which can be requested at the time you make your reservation, given that the porter will also need a permit to enter the trail system which must be purchased in advance, together with an entrance ticket. The cost of a personal porter is US$ 100 and the maximum load they are permitted to carry is 20 kilos. This service may be shared with another participant. Please ask us about this service.

As an option, you might choose to pay for a bus ticket down from the ruins of Machu Picchu to the town of Aguas Calientes, where the train station is located, either to take the train or to spend the night in the town at your own cost. Of course, you can also opt to walk to the town and save yourself US$ 7.

If you would like to MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW, all you need is a passport which will be valid on the starting date of your trek. Please follow these simple steps:

1. Verify with our office via e-mail the availability of spaces on the INCA TRAIL for the date you would like to travel. Send us a message.  

2. Once our offices have informed you regarding availability of spaces on the Inca Trail, you need to open our booking form and provide our staff with the following information: name (as it appears in your passport), passport number, date of birth, nationality, gender, the selected day to start the trek and the method of payment.  Then you need to make payment of the advance to our bank account (US$ 155 or US$ 105 for those students with an ISIC card valid on the starting date of the trek) according to the selected method of payment choosen on the booking form.

3. Once you have made the advance payment you should communicate this fact to our offices via e-mail and we will send you a reply as soon as we get your permit and buy your entrance ticket whithin the 48 next hours after the arrival of your email.

In order to avoid errors when your information is entered into the reservations system of the Inca Trail, please also send us a scanned copy of your passport via e-mail. Faxed copies are not always clear. It is very important that you are aware that the reservations system administered by the authorities in charge of the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary does not permit any changes whatsoever in the information supplied at the time the reservation is made. This means that the information contained in the passport you travel with to Peru must coincide exactly with the information provided at the time you make your reservation.

4. Once our staff members have made the arrangements for the permit and the purchase of the ticket, your space on the Inca Trail will be guaranteed and you will be informed of this fact within a period of not more than 48 hours.

We will then require payment of the balance 30 days before the start of the trek and your contact details in Cusco so that we will be able to contact you in Cusco and meet with you 2 or 3 days before the start of the trek and introduce you to the guide and outline the final details of the excursion.

5. Only in the event of our staff members being unable to obtain a permit and purchase the entrance ticket due to high demand for spaces will your money be returned.

Thank you for choosing us!

Map of the Inca Trail | About the Regulations for Tourist Activities on the Inca Trail Network If you didn’t find space for the dates you wish to travel then join one of our alternative treks: Weavers Trek 4d3n, Salkantay Trek 5d4n,Inca Jungle Trail 4d3n

Methods of payment
Payment by Visa Card You can enter our system for credit card payment, VERIFIED BY VISA, located on our website and follow the instructions. You must pay an 8% commission for this transaction.

Bank Transfer: You can ask your bank to transfer funds to our current account in US dollars. You will have to pay a US$ 20 commission and bank charges in Peru, as well as the costs for the transfer charged by your own bank.
Bank…

Western Union: You can send a money transfer to Mariel Aguirre Palomino, identified with the Peruvian identity card number 40236036 and Manager of the company Mapi & Beyond E.I.R.L. You must pay the commission charged by Western Union for this service.

Prices quoted are valid until January 31st 2010.